Ever question your faith at times?

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chaz0426

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Do you ever question your faith? I know I do every so often. Like tonight I was just wondering stuff like what if nothing happens after we die? What if our conscience and mental thinking die when our brain dies. What if all these athiests and scientists that are around are right.

What if what we see in this world and reality is all there is. What if religion really is man made despite the good things that come from it at times. What if it serves to merely comfort us. What if the Jesus we know was just a man and scriptures were altered ages ago or something.

These are questions I’ve been asking since I was young and sometimes revisit. Through growing up I’ve grown a lot in the Catholic faith and I just feel in my heart with love and feeling that there must be a God and Jesus was really divine.

Sometimes I just revisit those questions and ponder them. If you think about it, there really is no reason to believe for certain that any of this is true. I guess that is what faith really is. There is no visual proof for anything. I hear of people close around me and on television dying everyday and wonder where they go. If anyone could possibly come back and tell us what happens.

Nothing has ever been verified. I see the world everyday as just a bunch of matter some things wonderfully beautiful and some things utterly disgusting. I see the world full of good and evil at the same time although lately more evil going on than good although that may be the effect of the media.

I know nothing needs be proven or verified in our faith for that is what faith really is but do you ever ponder the same questions? I have yet to actually one on one talk to God even though I speak to him everyday and pray. How do I know I’m not just talking to myself?

I guess for those of you who have experienced miracles first hand or have seen a divine apparition or had some sort of divine experience its easier than others to believe but I have yet to have any of that even though I’m only 20 years old.

These are valid questions and I’m not doubting anything but I often run through those questions time to time I guess.

Can anyone relate? What do you think?
 
I would think most thinking people have similar thoughts. I know I certainly do. I often question whether religion really does change people, myself included. It seems like my personality is already set, and sometimes I feel like people are just a bunch of chemical reactions.

Other times I feel like there is deep meaning in every facet of life, perfectly choreographed by Almighty God.
 
Middleman said:
I would think most thinking people have similar thoughts. I know I certainly do. I often question whether religion really does change people, myself included. It seems like my personality is already set, and sometimes I feel like people are just a bunch of chemical reactions.

Other times I feel like there is deep meaning in every facet of life, perfectly choreographed by Almighty God.
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Yeah exactly
 
Yup. I know exactly what you mean. Exactly. I went through it a great deal this past year. (I am 21 by the way) Thing is, right now I am on the side where I don’t think it is true.

Since there is no proof like you say, how can we be required to believe? I realized that if I had grown up Muslim or Hindu, I likely would have felt the very same way about Allah or about Krishna that I felt about Jesus - I would have believed that they were the truth and that I held to the truth by believing in them. I have had many other questions and realizations as well.

So I guess right now I think I would describe myself as agnostic. I think that any kind of theism is sort of presumptuous because it claims to know with certainty things that we really cannot know and have no proof for. Complete atheism is also very silly - just like you can never know for sure that a god exists, you can never disprove the existence of every possible sort of god. I think that you can be atheistic with respect to specific gods - right now I would consider myself atheistic with respect to the Christian god. But I certainly cannot rule out the existence of all gods. There may be a god out there that has never ever interacted with us and gives us no clues of its presence and we could not even begin to think of what sort of qualities it has.

I also do not think there is an afterlife. It makes me really sad sometimes…but mainly only when I think about people I love dying and not being able to see them again…and realizing that once they die, they are really and truly GONE. You are really left without them…just memories. Their body just rots in the grave. You don’t have the comfort that they are still present somewhere in some other reality.

So yeah. I think having this questions is normal, and quite frankly, I think that as long as you use your head to figure out what makes sense, you will be okay. They always say that God gave us a brain and reason to use it. So don’t be afraid to use it. Questioning is healthy…looking for answers is good…Suppressing questions and making excuses for stuff that doesn’t make sense is being dishonest. Tell God frankly that you are honestly questioning. Discuss your questions with him. Since God is supposed to be a decent guy, I can’t see him getting upset at you when you are being frank, honest, and open in all of your inquiry.
 
Question faith? Always. I’d never deny my faith Life or set my beliefs in stone.

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood
 
i do i mean what if there are alens that come to earth!!how would we convince ourselves then?or ya what if the atheists,scientists etc are right?what if?what if?what if?..
But i am a living witness to the power of faith in Jesus through prayer and the gift of healing.and i no people who perform miracles in Jesus name!!perhaps people wh doubt should try to get in contact with people who are gifted with the power to heal.but there is nothing as convincing as sheer poverty staring you down!!then your only hope is in something you believe is all powerfull and able to help you.
 
Constantly. The Christian view of the world is extremely implausible.

But then, I start thinking about the ramifications of a godless universe, and that’s even worse.
 
I have gone through times of severe doubt. I’m talking about living on the edge. I’m talking about agonizing pain. But i have always asked God to strengthen my faith, to feed me wisdom and knowledge, and to help me persevere in understanding. And you know what? He did exactly what i asked him to do. I still Got allot to learn; but its an on going process.

My faith has actually grown stronger because of doubt! If that makes any sense?
 
I know how you feel, and believe that many feel this way. Myself included. I have gone through many, many phases of belief over my 41 years. From the child that did all the stuff I was supposed to in relation to church, to an adult, who didn’t give a second thought to attending mass, or thinking of God, even at Christmas time.

It was around a year ago that something very odd happened to me. I went to church right before Easter, and to this day I cannot explain what happened that day. I felt a STRONG pull to relearn my faith, and everything about it. I started attending mass regularly, going to confession, and low and behold, started taking some ministry courses my diocese offers on a weekly basis.

It’s been a year since then, and while my faith is very strong, I still have times of doubt, and question. I openly admit I have a difficult time understanding why God allows such horrid evils in this world. Anything that happens to children in particular. I find it very, very, difficult to understand why an all loving God, would allow an innocent child to suffer in the ways that many do.

Someone else also mentioned things that bother me, i.e., what if all this is just man made. What if religion was simply designed to control the masses. (No pun intended). What if after we die, our brain dies, and that really is “it”. We are nothing more than a mass of blood and flesh with electrical impulses controlling everything.

Yes, at some times it is easier for me to believe that, than to believe there is a God at all. However, strangely enough, I find that the more I question, the more I doubt, the more I come back to believing. Praying, and surrendering myself to the God that I have grown to know over this past year, better than I have known Him all my life.

Hopefully that made some kind of sense. 🙂
 
rotlex said:
I know how you feel, and believe that many feel this way. Myself included. I have gone through many, many phases of belief over my 41 years. From the child that did all the stuff I was supposed to in relation to church, to an adult, who didn’t give a second thought to attending mass, or thinking of God, even at Christmas time.

It was around a year ago that something very odd happened to me. I went to church right before Easter, and to this day I cannot explain what happened that day. I felt a STRONG pull to relearn my faith, and everything about it. I started attending mass regularly, going to confession, and low and behold, started taking some ministry courses my diocese offers on a weekly basis.

It’s been a year since then, and while my faith is very strong, I still have times of doubt, and question. I openly admit I have a difficult time understanding why God allows such horrid evils in this world. Anything that happens to children in particular. I find it very, very, difficult to understand why an all loving God, would allow an innocent child to suffer in the ways that many do.

Someone else also mentioned things that bother me, i.e., what if all this is just man made. What if religion was simply designed to control the masses. (No pun intended). What if after we die, our brain dies, and that really is “it”. We are nothing more than a mass of blood and flesh with electrical impulses controlling everything.

Yes, at some times it is easier for me to believe that, than to believe there is a God at all. However, strangely enough, I find that the more I question, the more I doubt, the more I come back to believing. Praying, and surrendering myself to the God that I have grown to know over this past year, better than I have known Him all my life.

Hopefully that made some kind of sense. 🙂
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Since posting I’ve noticed that those thoughts come and go. Like on certain days like today I can easily see many reasons and evidence of there being a God and I just feel in my heart he is there and my faith is true. Some days though I just get that feeling of insecurity and see the world in a different light as if it is just all material and we are just a world of physical laws, scientific processes, and neural matter that make decisions and religion was a byproduct through man’s evolution.

Being in college I’ve been educated on a lot of subjects and have taken a few philosophy courses myself that were quite interesting. We studied the arguments on both sides about whether God exists. As I knew, there was no conclusion as both sides arguments were legit.

One atheistic argument I remember was " If God created all and he exists and everything ultimately comes from him, and evil exists, then is God evil if evil exists and he willingly lets evil things take place?

Also an interesting question when studying moral law, " If God commanded us to do evil things, would it then be considered evil, are we required to do it?

What makes the difference is a matter of faith, belief, and heart.

I still have a lot of study I want to do on Catholic theology in my life and I am 20 so I have some time. One of the reasons I love my faith is that the Catholic Church as 2000 years of theological history and thought that comes along with it. I haven’t even touched the tip of the ice burg. For example I still have yet to read Aquinas and Augustine among many others.

Anyway back to the topic: Even on days that I doubt, I just feel in my heart there is much more to our lives and our world than meets the eye and even though it’s tough it really does strengthen my faith when I pray for God to give me strength and to come and know him and believe in him without hesitation.

I study a lot of science and mathematics through my Engineering studies and I can easily see how ordered a lot of it seems and could only be the result through intelligent design. However a lot of people who study the same things tend to be athiests too I guess because they feel much of the world is explainable by natural laws and it’s illogical to believe in God.

What I still ponder is, is not so much if he exists but what if our Concept of God is off, what if religion is man made? I look at the world’s different religions and wonder which one is right? If there are so many, who is right? What makes the Catholic faith any more true than the hundreds of other faiths who claim they are true? You see?

It’s all a big mystery.

Any thoughts?
 
I’ve concluded that God likes to test the faithful at times and sometimes if I am more depressed than usual or it’s a gloomy day I tend to think skeptically too for some reason. Even many times when I pray for God to give me a dream or a sign or something it never happens or I just get no answer.

Sometimes during hard times of faith it seems like praying is just an acceptable way to talk to oneself and reassure since there’s no response or whisper or anything to acknowledge it. Although I’ve had prayers answered so there’s got to be something divine about it or it could just be coincidence but I’d like to believe the former. 🙂
 
The questions/doubts you’re occasionallyhaving seem related more to the existence of God and the supernatural (as opposed to the truths of the Catholic Church). There is a time for everything - and this could be the time when it would be beneficial for you to read the lives of some of the saints who have had supernatural experiences. A few suggestions would be St. Padre Pio, St. Margaret Mary, the Cure of Ars, St. Joseph Coppertino, …
 
Like many here had mentioned, I too doubt the existence of God occasionally, but each time that happens there are several things that remind me and help build my faith.

1/ Jesus told Thomas, you believe because you’ve seen, but blessed are those who have not seen but believe. (or something like that)

2/ Many great saints go through periods of doubt like this. Including mother Theresa.

3/ When we questions and doubt, it is actually a time when God let go of his hands so you can walk on your own and advance in your faith, like a parent letting go of their hands so the baby can step on its own.

4/ This universe, this earth, this body are so intricate and masterfully design that it took us thousand of years to figure things out and still figuring out. How can it be purely random and accidental. Some divine engineer has to design it. For I ask, can you just build a house by throwing a bunch of wood together? or cook some fancy dinner by randomly throw some meat and vegetable together? Look around, anything that is useful in your house is meticulous thought of and designed, your TV, your radio, your stove, so why would your body which by the way is by in large still mysterious cannot be by design?

5/ What Jesus has taught is so fullfilling, I haven’t found a hole and so he must be what he said he is which is the Truth. While, in other religions I find lots of holes and contradiction. For example, Budha is a person you rid himself of all desire for nothing, the nirvana or enlightenment has no meaning. The continuous reincarnation, is meaningless as there is no destination. While in Hinduism, it segregate its people into tiers/caste and thus its gods have no love for its people and thus there’s no meaning of serving a master who doesn’t love his servants. I’m not an expert in religions and hope I didn’t offend anyone, and I admit I talked in generality, but with just the general findings it is enough for me to not follow it.

6/ Although I didn’t experience big miracles or vision. I know that God has lend his hands in my life many times in a quiet ways.
 
Conversion is a continuing process. Our faith should become stronger-as it’s more tried-through the years. But it’s never finished- I couldn’t have some sort of perfect faith today but tomorrow lose it all. It’s always faith, which means it can always be tested and can always be questioned. If not for the grace of God it wouldn’t exist at all.
 
Never. I blew off a belief in God for 35 years and then God made it very clear to me that he existed. That was two years ago and the Lord has not stopped actively working in my life. Faith is a gift, but once you have it, you must work to grow in faith and to develop a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus. This you can do through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Eucharist is the center of the Catholic faith. Daily communion provides grace that helps one strengthen their beliefs. Faith is also strengthened by reading scripture. Frequent confession and making time for adoration of the most Blessed Sacrament will also increase your faith. When we partake of the sacraments, we receive Grace. Faith increases and desire to pray and to worship God is always with us.

What we choose to do with the gift of faith that we are given is solely up to us. God will give us so much if we only ask the Holy Spirit to transform us. The more we open ourselves up to God and make him the complete center of our lives, the more he pours his Grace upon us.

My faith has not waivered in two years. What will I do when my transformation slows down and the consolations cease and then I only have my “faith.” I pray that I will persevere in my love of God and never turn my face from him regardless of what my life deals out to me.

God’s truth will set you free. God loves every one of us best and he will give us what we need. All we have to do is ask.

The only thing I ever question is how I can let every person I know find what I have found in God?
 
If we believe in the devil, which we do, we know exactly where those doubts come from. The same doubts that the serpent brought to Adam and Eve, the same doubts that he brought to Jesus agonizing on the cross.

Imagine what a jungle it would be if everyone gave in to those doubts.
 
Of course, we question are faith at times. Even Job did. The stronger that satan temps you, the more you feel lost. You begin to ‘give up’ and even at times, think of suicide.

Romans chpt 1, lets us know, that we simply have to look around us. As in Job, we have to ask ourselves where all living things came from. Who is taking care of them (animals as well as plants)? We now see, that the world is not that big after all, and yet, life continues (in most cases, without our help).

If the story of Adam and Eve was false, then why is every human being born with the knowledge of good and evil? Even as a child, you know when you are not obeying your parents, thus you know when you are doing wrong. You also know in advance, before you start thinking of carrying out words or deeds, which ones are right, and which are wrong.

If the story of the tower of Babel was not true, then why do we find so many languages in the world, that are completely different, one from the other? Why is it, that almost every tribe or culture worships something or someone? What made us think like this?

There are many recorded so-called miracles happening around us everyday. Why?

Where do we get the urge from, to care for others? Why don’t we take everything for ourselves? We see those that deal in drugs, or seek terrorist acts in order to have their own way, being despised by the world. Why? The answer is simple. Someone is making certain that the world carries on. Survival of the human race would have ended a long time ago, without some higher guidance.

Thorwald Johansen
 
To All of you,I too have doubted my faith lots of times. We question our beleif,but God understands,and he knows how hard it is for us,but also gives us the faith to keep going and to seek him,in good time and in bad times. I have a lot of other quesitons,but have always lived my life with my faith in God,and as a Catholic.

We lost our 21 yr. old son to murder going on 10 yrs. soon . Without our faith in God to get us through there would be no way we could have done it. He has carried us all these years,and by no means would we have let go of him,although when the road got tough,we would have a set back,but always pulled back with prayer and asking him and his Mother’s help. All you have to do is ask and he is there.

For one minute think of how a child is created by God. The miracle of life it’s self? Look all around and see the miracles of life,even in our days of evil and turmoil. He is there!

It is very hard not to question,and these are all good and fair questions. This is a great place to come,as we have a lot of great people to help us learn and understand things that we question,and may not know. I thank you for sharing these,as I too have had so many similarities.

Just for thought,think about this phrase:
Code: 
                          I WOULD RATHER LIVE MY LIFE 
                          AS IF THERE IS A GOD

                         AND DIE TO FIND THERE ISN'T

                         THAN LIVE MY LIFE AS IF THERE ISN'T
                         AND DIE TO FIND THERE IS.
MAY GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU,KEEP SEARCHING AS BY QUESTIONING,MAKES YOU RESEARCH FURTHER MORE,AND MORE MEANING AND FRUIT MAY ALL COME THROUGH. GOOD LUCK TO YOU YOUNG ONE,AND LOOK AT HOW,OR WHO GOT YOU HERE? YOU HAVE MANY YEARS TO SERVE GOD IN YOUR LIVES. KEEP HIM CLOSE TO YOUR HEART AT ALL TIMES! HE IS THERE. I KNOW EXACTLY,THAT HE HAS BEEN WITH US,TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
LOVE MADELENA (AN OLD TIMER) STILL LEARNING FROM YOU ALL.
 
chaz0426 said:
Do you ever question your faith? I know I do every so often. Like tonight I was just wondering stuff like what if nothing happens after we die? What if our conscience and mental thinking die when our brain dies. What if all these athiests and scientists that are around are right.

What if what we see in this world and reality is all there is. What if religion really is man made despite the good things that come from it at times. What if it serves to merely comfort us. What if the Jesus we know was just a man and scriptures were altered ages ago or something.

These are questions I’ve been asking since I was young and sometimes revisit. Through growing up I’ve grown a lot in the Catholic faith and I just feel in my heart with love and feeling that there must be a God and Jesus was really divine.

Sometimes I just revisit those questions and ponder them. If you think about it, there really is no reason to believe for certain that any of this is true. I guess that is what faith really is. There is no visual proof for anything. I hear of people close around me and on television dying everyday and wonder where they go. If anyone could possibly come back and tell us what happens.

Nothing has ever been verified. I see the world everyday as just a bunch of matter some things wonderfully beautiful and some things utterly disgusting. I see the world full of good and evil at the same time although lately more evil going on than good although that may be the effect of the media.

I know nothing needs be proven or verified in our faith for that is what faith really is but do you ever ponder the same questions? I have yet to actually one on one talk to God even though I speak to him everyday and pray. How do I know I’m not just talking to myself?

I guess for those of you who have experienced miracles first hand or have seen a divine apparition or had some sort of divine experience its easier than others to believe but I have yet to have any of that even though I’m only 20 years old.

These are valid questions and I’m not doubting anything but I often run through those questions time to time I guess.

Can anyone relate? What do you think?
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I’m totally with you. First, I would say if we didn’t have doubt it wouldn’t be faith and so, in some regard, worthless.

You know St. Anselm’s definition of Theology? Fides Quarens Intellectum– Faith Seeking Understanding. Questions of course, lead us to seek answers and it is in seeking these answers I have found much comfort and satisfaction. A relationship with God is something we persue, and if we do, it’s awesome! 👍 So don’t be afraid of your questions, use them as a vehicle to embrace your faith further, you’ll be glad you did!

“A good way to advance in sanctity is to read Holy books, Holy Scripture, the Fathers of the Church and the Lives of the Saints. It is important to take time out of our busy schedule for God.” ~Mother Angelica
 
chaz0426 said:
Do you ever question your faith? I know I do every so often. Like tonight I was just wondering stuff like what if nothing happens after we die? What if our conscience and mental thinking die when our brain dies. What if all these athiests and scientists that are around are right.

What if what we see in this world and reality is all there is. What if religion really is man made despite the good things that come from it at times. What if it serves to merely comfort us. What if the Jesus we know was just a man and scriptures were altered ages ago or something.

These are questions I’ve been asking since I was young and sometimes revisit. Through growing up I’ve grown a lot in the Catholic faith and I just feel in my heart with love and feeling that there must be a God and Jesus was really divine.

Sometimes I just revisit those questions and ponder them. If you think about it, there really is no reason to believe for certain that any of this is true. I guess that is what faith really is. There is no visual proof for anything. I hear of people close around me and on television dying everyday and wonder where they go. If anyone could possibly come back and tell us what happens.

Nothing has ever been verified. I see the world everyday as just a bunch of matter some things wonderfully beautiful and some things utterly disgusting. I see the world full of good and evil at the same time although lately more evil going on than good although that may be the effect of the media.

I know nothing needs be proven or verified in our faith for that is what faith really is but do you ever ponder the same questions? I have yet to actually one on one talk to God even though I speak to him everyday and pray. How do I know I’m not just talking to myself?

I guess for those of you who have experienced miracles first hand or have seen a divine apparition or had some sort of divine experience its easier than others to believe but I have yet to have any of that even though I’m only 20 years old.

These are valid questions and I’m not doubting anything but I often run through those questions time to time I guess.

Can anyone relate? What do you think?
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Hi Chaz,

It is wonderful to see so many people being honest about their doubts. I remember having such doubts at your age. Now I look back and can’t understand how I was ever hoodwinked into thinking that it is somehow a virtue to try to believe or claim to believe things that I doubt to be true. Of course it’s a good thing to doubt. In any other area of our lives it would be an extreme liability to claim to know things that we don’t actually know. What I can’t understand is how anyone ever convinced me that I ought to make a special exception for religious beliefs. Well, yeah I do, they started at a very young age when I was very susceptible to arguments based on authority. But like you, since then I’ve learned about other religions, and recognized that we simply do not have the sort of evidence for the truth of any of the world’s religions that we would need to be convinced of far more mundane and far less extraordinary claims about history or science or anything else but religion. And I can see no reason why religion should get a free pass. Plus, even if I were going to believe one of the religions of the world, it would be hard to make a case that any one of them is based on more convincing evidence than any other.

Best,
Leela
 
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